United’s grand final win turning the tables in Adelaide

United’s grand final win turning the tables in Adelaide

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It has been a little over a week since Adelaide United lifted its maiden toilet seat.

The streamers have been cleared and the spilled beer has dried. One would think that the achievement would slip into the abyss now that it is curtains for the A-League season, and let’s face it, Adelaide is an AFL dominated city.

However it is quite the contrary.

The Advertiser’s Sunday Mail featured calls for a new rectangular football stadium to be built alongside the Adelaide Oval, and former coach John Kosmina penned a column urging the state government to strongly consider funding the project.

In Wednesday’s Northern Messenger, three articles about United’s grand final win and their successful move to their training base at Elizabeth’s Ridley Reserve feature across a two-page spread.

Years from now, fans and pundits will look back on that afternoon on 1 May 2016 and identify it is the moment when football in Adelaide turned a corner.

United’s grand final win was the best thing that could have happened, not only to the club, but football in the state.

It has injected fresh interest and discussions about football’s place on the Adelaide sporting totem pole by the wider public after years of being cast aside and considered inferior.

Leicester City has been invited to come down under in a showcase of England’s best versus Australia’s best, an idea that was conjured up solely by the state government.

Adelaide Oval was packed for the A-League's showpiece
Adelaide Oval was packed for the A-League’s showpiece

Government support for the beautiful game in Adelaide was nothing but a pipe dream years ago, but now it could be very much a reality.

The rest of the country has sat up and taken notice of Adelaide’s football exploits as well.

News on Wednesday that now former Red Craig Goodwin and current young gun Stefan Mauk have been included in the Socceroos squad to face England alongside Adelaide boy Bradden Inman has pushed South Australian football into the spotlight.

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There was a point in time when Adelaide was considered the heartland of Australian football, with names like Vidmar, Tobin, Mori, Mullen, Ivanovic and Melta donning the black and white stripes of Adelaide City, while West Adelaide Hellas went through a period of dominance.

With football going stagnant and without success in Adelaide, interest was drying up. Two failed grand final attempts did not help.

But now things have changed drastically, and maybe now Adelaide will get the footballing dynasty it deserves.

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